The Hindu : Cricket's comeback kids

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Sep 27, 2002

Opinion

Opinion - Editorials

Cricket's comeback kids

A SENSATIONAL VICTORY? Without a doubt. But the real significance of India's success against South Africa in the Champions Trophy extends well beyond the fact that it was a stunning conquest of one of the world's best sides which, at one time, seemed to have run away with the game. It lies in the broader truth that something is happening to Indian cricket — something which is exciting, unfamiliar and perhaps not yet fully comprehensible. But the signs are unmistakable and it would be myopic to miss them. You can see it in the reflexive exuberance of Virender Sehwag's strokeplay, in the passionate intensity with which Yuveraj Singh flings himself at the ball, in the glint of steely determination in Mohammed Kaif's eye or in the excitable aggression of Zaheer Khan. What they tell us is that Indian cricket is undergoing a cheerful metamorphosis, is beginning to sport a brand new look and a brand new attitude. It is difficult to think of another Indian cricket team which has looked as positive, as energised or as hungry for victory.

The win against South Africa, as a result of which India has stormed into the finals of the tournament, has capped an impressive string of recent performances in one-day cricket. It was only a couple of months ago that an incandescent India, in the final of the NatWest Trophy, surpassed a staggering total of 300-plus to register an astonishing win over England. The victory against South Africa in Colombo on Wednesday provokes a natural comparison because, in both matches, the Indian team seemed down for the count before raising itself to pull off improbable (really, almost impossible) victories. In terms of making a comeback, the recent victory against South Africa is arguably even bigger than the one against England. Having reached 194 for 1, no one — not even India's captain Saurav Ganguly as he himself admitted — could have imagined that South Africa would crash to defeat. The Indian comeback against England was spun around a slender thread of hope (in the shape of Singh and Kaif); the comeback against South Africa was scripted when all hope was lost. A large slice of the credit for this miraculous win should go to Virender Sehwag. It was his dinky and seemingly innocuous off-spinners which won the game for cricket's new comeback kids, but what Sehwag has really signalled during this tournament is his arrival on the world stage as a batsman who can single-handedly annihilate the opposition.

The Indian one-day side is far from perfectly balanced. The bowling department remains weak and the side suffers from not having even one truly genuine all-rounder. To some extent, its recent success has been a result of team engineering. Rahul Dravid's new role as wicket-keeper and the decision to use a part-time fifth bowler has resulted in a batting line up that is lengthy and truly impressive. If the experiment has held up well until now it is because this structural weakness has been compensated by the sheer passion, energy and commitment the younger players have infused into the team. Having won three straight matches, India faces a formidable task in the Champions Trophy final, where it is slated to play against either Australia, which remains the world's best cricket side, or talented Sri Lanka, which enjoys the advantage of playing at home. The final is just one match. Losing it will end India's winning streak but is unlikely to impair its reputation as a revitalised side that is a force in one-day cricket. Winning it will send the expectations the nation has of Saurav Ganguly and his young men through the roof. India will no longer be regarded merely as a rejuvenated side with a bright cricketing future but a serious contender for next year's tournament for cricket's greatest prize: the World Cup.

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